Status of Whanganui District Council proposed changes under Section 80Y of the Resource Management Act 1991
Following the announcement of the Plan Stop, Whanganui District Council resolved to request approval from the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform for an exemption under section 80V of the Resource Management Act 1991 (the Act) to proceed with and notify Draft Plan Change 66 – Miscellaneous 3.
In November last year, the council made a formal request to the Minister for RMA Reform for the exemption.
The following matters were included within the exemption application for this plan change:
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Removal of requirement of New Zealand firefighting water supplies code of practice 2008 (SNZ PAS 4509:2008) from the District Plan and to rely on Building Code for fire safety regulation.
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Make earthworks associated with the erection of retaining walls, under the supervision of an engineer, a permitted activity.
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Updates to designations and reapplications for lapsed designations.
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Removal of Engineering Standards from the District Plan to make a standalone document.
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Updates to the Transport chapter to better align with New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi standards.
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Updates to the Whanganui Town Centre Design guidelines to reflect the current planning system.
On Thursday, 5 February 2026, the council received approval for the exemption from the Minister for RMA Reform. The approval confirmed that the exemption application was approved in full, satisfying the criteria under section 80W of the Act.
The council is currently preparing the plan change for formal notification which is expected to be considered for formal notification later this year.